Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Getting older is not a walk in the park – gray hair, anyone? – but there is definitely a positive side to it. I’ve become a more patient person, and let me tell you, patience was never one of my virtues.

After baking and unmolding this delicious cake – oh, it was really delicious and I’m no chocoholic – the result almost made me cry: the poor thing looked ugly as hell on the plate. A glance at the book and frustration started building in. In the past I would have gone mad about it, but I took a deep breath and decided to watch TV instead. As the cake cooled down, the ganache topping got firmer and I could smooth it down with a palette knife, making it shiny and beautiful.

I guess that in my case calm came with age – and a couple of hours with Detective Goren *sigh* can’t hurt, either. ;)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Generously grease a 22cm (9in) round cake pan*.
For the topping, put the chocolate, jam and cream into a small pan over a medium heat. Stir until melted and smooth, then pour into the prepared pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder with the water, stirring until smooth, then add the milk, vanilla and jam, whisking to combine.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Using a large spoon, fold the sifted ingredients and the cocoa mix into the creamed mixture, alternating the two, then gently fold the raspberries through.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, ensuring you spread it right to the edge and cover the topping completely. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until firm. Leave the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes (if not serving straight away you can refrigerate the cake in the pan, but you will need to warm it in the oven before turning it out).
Turn the cake out onto a plate. You may need to scrape some sauce out of the pan and spread it over the top of the cake – my cake looked rather ugly when I unmolded it; I waited for it to cool down a little and the topping became firmer; then I was able to spread it evenly with a palette knife and the cake looked a lot prettier. :)
Serve warm or cold, with fresh raspberries.

* I made the exact recipe above and used a 20cm (8in) round cake pan with a removable bottom – I placed it on a baking sheet to catch any drippings

hi, i'm thinking of making this for a special occasion this weekend. Just wondering how far in advance you recommend making this. If I make it the night before will it go dry? I really want something wet/gooey that melts in the mouth. thanks! GRACE